Time Out - March 31: Sporting greats, Dates and a Quick Quiz Blitz to kick-start your day

Antrim snooker star Mark Allen

The Irish News Archive and PA

31 March, 2020 01:00

BACK IN THE DAY

The Irish News - Wednesday March 31 2010:

Mark Allen reached the second round of the Sanyuan Foods China Open yesterday with a convincing 5-1 win over 2006 World champion Graeme Dott.

The Antrim man fired in breaks of 102, 60 and 86 to set up a clash with another Scot, Stephen Maguire.

Current world champion John Higgins admits he must cut out the mistakes when he faces Mark Williams in the second round after a scrappy win against Fergal O'Brien.

The Scot beat the Dubliner 5-3 yesterday to set up a showdown with Williams after the Welshman beat England's Jamie Cope 5-3. Higgins did not have things all his own way in Beijing.

Having produced 74 and 50 to go 3-1 up, O'Brien clawed one back and made a fight of it until Higgins finally settled matters with a 74 in the eighth frame.

“I'm very happy to win, but there were lots of mistakes from the two of us,” Higgins said.

“If I play like that against Mark, I'll lose. The last time I played him here was in the final four years ago and I lost 10-9, so I owe him revenge. “There's always pressure on your first round game, so hopefully I'll have more confidence in my next match.”

SPORT BIRTHDAYS

Roger Black

athletics

former 400 metres star and Olympic silver medallist, born 1966.

Martin Atkinson

soccer

professional referee, member of the Select Group since 2005, FIFA listed from 2006 to 2018, born 1971.

Paul Grayson

cricket

former Essex head coach who played two one-day internationals for England, born 1971.

Stephen Clemence

soccer

Newcastle United first-team coach and former Tottenham, Birmingham and Leicester midfielder, son of former England goalkeeper Ray, born 1978.

Hashim Amla

Paddy McCarthy

Eddie Johnson

Connor Wickham

soccer

Sheffield Wednesday striker on loan from Crystal Palace, formerly with Ipswich and Sunderland, born 1993.

ON THIS DAY IN SPORT

1878

Jack Johnson, the first black man to win the world heavyweight boxing title, was born. Because of discrimination in the United States, he had to travel to Australia for his successful title challenge against Tommy Burns. Johnson died on June 10, 1946, aged 68.

1889

The world featherweight title fight between Ike Weir and Frank Murphy was stopped by police after 80 rounds. It is the longest world title contest under Queensberry Rules.

Jesse Owens, the athlete who once set four world records in one day and won four gold medals at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, died.

1995

Sunderland escaped a points deduction when they were fined £2,500 by the Football League for playing unregistered player Dominic Matteo in a First Division match at Barnsley.

2001

Former Arsenal and England midfielder David Rocastle died at the age of 33 from non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

2003

Peter Ridsdale resigned as chairman of debt-ridden Leeds after five years and was succeeded by Professor John McKenzie.

2010

Arsenal came from two goals down to claim a 2-2 draw in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final against Barcelona at the Emirates Stadium. The Gunners lost the second leg 4-1, with Lionel Messi scoring all four of Barca's goals.